Barnes & Noble publicly announced
its electronic-book reader, setting the stage for its $259 e-reader
to compete with the Amazon Kindle during the 2009 holiday shopping
season.

The B&N Nook has a color navigation panel, Wi-Fi,
2GB onboard storage with expansion slot for up to 16GB, and can play
MP3s and PDFs. In addition, the e-reader uses the Google
Android operating system and is supported by the AT&T 3G wireless
network.

The device is a bit bulkier than
the Kindle, has lower battery life than the Kindle, and doesn't have
the text-to-speech feature.

"We asked our customers what
they wanted in an eBook reader, and specifically designed Nook
to be the most full-featured, fun, stylish and easy-to-use eBook
reader on the market," B&N.com President William Lynch said
in a statement. "With our nationwide footprint, Barnes &
Noble customers can see, touch and hold Nook."

Even
though the Kindle leads the e-reader industry, the Nook may have a
drastic advantage now that it can be shown in thousands of B&N
bookstores across the United States. The Kindle can be
purchased exclusively through Amazon, and has been difficult to find
elsewhere.

"I want people to see my movies in the best formats possible. For [Paramount] to deny people who have Blu-ray sucks!" -- Movie Director Michael Bay